Holiday Gift Guide for Girls 6-12 (Top 10 Picks)

When thinking of what to get my oldest granddaughter for Christmas, my mind immediately goes to several areas she loves such as art, games, books, and CATS! Oh how she loves cats. So in comprising my holiday gift guide for children aged 6-12 (she is 8), these are my Top 10 gift idea suggestions. These are all products I know my granddaughter will use and enjoy.

1. Art. She loves art. She loves to create, and whether that means drawing, painting, or building, she's  all in for it. iHeartArt from Bright Stripes has some great sets available that are also very affordable. The metallic watercolors and gel pens above are two of my favorites because they have glitter! She is a BIG fan of glitter. What little girl wouldn't love to receive a huge set of pens that write in neon, shiny glitter and pastels?! And how very exciting to have your paint be metallic and saturated with sparkles. As a child that is magical (and admittedly, it's even cool to see/use when you are an adult). Creations are endless when you spark imagination with products like these.

2. Puzzles. My granddaughter is good at putting these together too, and she enjoys it, so I wanted to get her something a little non-traditional. When I found the YWow Oversized Kool-Aid Puzzle, I was putting my fist in the air and yelling, 'Oh yeahhhh!' Those under the age of 50 will have no idea what I just referenced, and that's okay. ;)  

These supersized puzzles that look like food or drinks (and there are quite a few of them to choose from) are fun to look at and will be a blast to put together. Puzzles are a good way to get some family-time in, and they're relaxing too. A great way to unplug and just enjoy spending time with each other. This one comes in a cylinder container so it will be a fun shape when you wrap it too. Made from 100% recycled puzzle board material.

3. Books! My granddaughter loves books and that includes the kind you read, the kind with pictures only and even books that are just full of stickers (and I remember my youngest child loving those sticker books too)!  This year, my grandbabe is getting Wreck the Halls, a Jumbo Sticker Book (Cute Things) and How to Draw Cats & Kittens.

A). Wreck the Halls is an adorable tiny book full of mischief created by cats and I know it is going to fill my granddaughter with giggles and depending on the level of mischief she is witnessing, maybe even guffaws. If things get too ugly, she'll start cackling, I just know it. She is sugar (and spice...this is the spice part) and everything nice. I think this book will be an instant favorite for her.

A delicious little book of cat humor and gorgeous photos. A passel of frolicsome felines led by the notorious Apple Brothers (Pippin, Macintosh and Fuji), wreaks havoc in their owner's house as they topple the Christmas tree, delete the Christmas card file, sabotage shortbread cookie-making, hide ornaments...and more. Will all eventually be well? Read the book and find out. Special Sale Price for Christmas! Buy here for $6.95!

B). With Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Cute Stuff, young sticker lovers can use the 75+ adorable, oversize stickers on 22 pages of colorful scenery.

With more than 75 stickers and 22 pages of colorful scenery, Jumbo Stickers for Little Hands: Cute Stuff is a collection of the cutest stuff in the world! The jumbo stickers—all 2 inches or larger—are easier for little fingers to handle, and the playful illustrations are sure to inspire big imaginations. Buy here for $7.99 from Quarto Publishing!

C. Also from Quarto's Children's Book selections, How to Draw Cats & Kittens. Drawing is the cat’s meow! With the easy step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations, any cat lover can learn to draw 20 different lifelike kitties of all shapes and sizes. As kids follow along with the clear illustrations, they’ll learn to develop their drawings from basic shapes to finished masterpieces. And fun facts about the featured breeds add extra entertainment value. Buy here for $5.99!

4. Stuffies. She hasn't outgrown her love of stuffies yet, but she's not one for traditional fluffy cuties (unless they're cats). She likes things like the Oddbods Pogo Soft Stuffed Plush Toys. These are a nice size (12") and will fit perfectly on her bed alongside the other stuffies in her collection. They come in a variety of colors and styles, but I think the blue one will be her favorite (pink is not her color this year, I was given fair warning).

Bring home the love and enjoyment of the adorable Oddbods with your very own stuffed toy for home or on-the-go; excite kids of all ages. The Oddbods set is made of up huggable plush designs; perfect for play, collecting and cuddling; for infants & toddlers to adults. Made from a soft, plush, squishable and huggable yet durable material; this cute plush toy is also a great pillow.

5. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the cute Oddbods Action Vehicles too. There are several but the ice cream truck and Zee's tractor are my favorite. I think she'd love the ice cream truck best, and it has a removeable Pogo character that matches her stuffie. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a bonafide toy under the tree. She's going to love that little ice cream cone launcher... I already know.

Be a little bit mischievous with Pogo's ice cream truck launcher. Push and play with the most fun truck out there while launching ice cream at all the other Oddbods; comes with a removable Pogo character figurine that fits perfectly in the driver's seat.

Be a little bit mischievous with Zee's Tractor pizza launcher. Push and play with the most fun truck out there while launching pizza at all the other Oddbods; comes with a removable Zee character figurine that fits perfectly in the driver's seat. 

6. DVDs. Some families still snuggle up together on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and pop in a DVD. My son and his family do it and we still do it at my place too. I realize there are a lot of perks with choosing digitals and playing them on a device but there's something exciting about letting the kids pick out their own movie (going through the DVD collection) and designating the day as 'Movie Day' too, that I know will stick in little mind memories. 

For my granddaughter's stocking, I've chosen A Gift from Bob and ACE and the Christmas Miracle. These are both holiday related films, so I thought that was appropriate for the situation. Bob's main character is a cat and ACE's main character is a horse. These are going to be hits for her. I hope I'm there visiting when she watches one or both of them. I want to see these too. :)

A Gift from Bob: Christmas gifts come in all shapes and sizes. For James (Luke Treadaway), a struggling street musician, a very special one arrives in the form of Bog, a strong-willed stray cat who wanders into James' tiny flat. Bob enriches James' life, giving him companionship, purpose, and a large new audience. When Animal Welfare officers threaten to take Bob, the local community rallies to help James and Bob--sparking a journey that takes the pair to places they never imagined in this heartwarming, spirit-lifting movie for the whole family.

Ace and the Christmas Miracle: This quirky holiday comedy means fun for every member of the family. Deep in debt to Big Freddie, kindhearted con man Tony gets a chance to change his life when he meets Amanda, young mother of Daniel. She wants to hire Tony to kidnap her brother's horse Ace (voice d by Jon Lovitz) but after Tony and Ace bump heads, Tony finds he can communicate with the wisecracking nag. Can Ace convince the other racehorses to help Tony get rich at the New Year's Day derby?

7. Chalk of the Town Shirts. What's more fun than having shirts that match each other? How about having shirts that are the same, BUT you can decorate them the way YOU want to, with washable chalk! I have FOUR granddaughters, and with this Chalk of the Town shirt, she can get her decorating on after the presents are all opened and we've all settled down. Her younger cousins can do the same, and grandmama (that would be) can get some adorable pictures of the girls decorating their shirts together, and then wearing them. I got the Christmas Tree theme for each of them, but you can choose from a variety of designs (there are many selections that are not seasonal) that can be worn year-round.

Chalk of the Town Christmas T-Shirt Kit (Chalk of the Town): Ring in the holidays this year with Chalk of the Town’s new Christmas Tree T-Shirt Kit. This shirt features a “chalkboard” Christmas tree on the front to decorate with the included chalk markers — and thanks to the patent-pending design, when you proudly wear your Christmas masterpiece, it won’t smudge or bleed.  Christmas Tree T-Shirt Kits come with a 100% cotton, Kelly Green long-sleeve shirt; pink, green, & blue water-based chalk markers; & an erasing cloth. Available in youth sizes XS (2-4), S (6-8), M (10-12), L (14-16), & XL (18-20) and adult sizes S, M, L & XL. Available on Amazon for $27.95

8. Monopoly (Crazy for Cats). I saw this advertised online at Walmart and I literally went to SIX Walmarts in three cities searching for it. At one store, I was looking at the inventory online (while I was there in person) and it said it was in the store. I could not find it. I tried to recruit helpers who told me if it wasn't on the shelf, it wasn't in stock. I told them that my phone said it was there... in stock, so maybe it was somewhere else...an end cap, clearance? Something. But no...and it was sold out online. Imagine my delight when an ad for it popped up on my laptop a few days later (when I had all but given up) and I scored this for my granddaughter. Grandma dance!!

Not only does my grandbabe love Monopoly (and she beats me at it more than I would care to admit) but she also adores, as I mentioned before, cats. That makes this gift a win-win. In fact, it MIGHT be her most favorite gift of the year (from me). We shall see...

9. The last time I was at my granddaughter's house,  I noticed that she was holding on to her cat robe that she has long since outgrown. Not only that, she was still trying to squeeze her 8-year-old body into her little tiny robe still. She just loves it that much. So... to Amazon grandma went, and I found this one that I think she will love.

There was another one, that had a cute cat face on the hood, but the reviews on that one weren't so great, and we want quality along with the cute, so I landed on and purchased this one. It's a nice, soft plush robe with the cute cat ears I know she will like and I hope she finds it a suitable replacement for the one she has loved for so long (but clearly has outgrown).

10. My baby girl's parents never put her back in a traditional school once they had to pull her out for Covid. They just decided that they really liked teaching her at home. That being said, they did put her in a Montessori program that meets a couple of times a week so she can socialize, but her primary education is coming from her parents. She does have computer time built into her curriculum, so she needs to use a computer several times a week. That means she's in a chair in front of the computer, and I thought it would be a good idea to put her in a cat chair (because hello, cats!).

There was a big pink and white leather gaming chair that I fell in love with, but for some reason my granddaughter is 100% adverse to pink this year (I guess she overdosed on loving it too much). Pink is out, and purple is in so after consulting her father, I purchased this for her. I also had it sent to her house because I didn't want to be responsible for lifting and carrying it back and forth. Her dad has it properly hidden and will wrap and put it under the tree. Big bonus, he'll assemble it too (method in my madness, hahahahaha), although assembly does appear to be rather easy. The fact that it's a cat will be the biggest hurrah for my little one, but the wheels are going to be a big hit too.